Puppet nested resources create_resources, can't convert string into hash - puppet

Question

trying to build a DNS with this module: ref. But getting this error:
Error: Could not retrieve catalog from remote server: Error 500 on SERVER: Server Error: Evaluation Error: Error while evaluating a Function Call, can't convert String into Hash.
I have nested YAML, but not sure if it's correctly formatted or not or problems with something else within my code.
This is my dns profile dns.pp:
class profile::bind {
validate_hash($conf)
$conf = hiera_hash('bind::zone', undef)
create_resources('profile::bind::make::zone', $conf)
}
This is how I define my zone with make_zone.pp:
define profile::bind::make::zone (
$hash_data,
$zone,
$ensure,
$zone_contact,
$zone_ns,
$zone_serial,
$zone_ttl,
$zone_origin,
) {
validate_hash($hash_data)
bind::zone { $zone :
ensure => $ensure,
zone_contact => $zone_contact,
zone_ns => [$zone_ns],
zone_serial => $zone_serial,
zone_ttl => $zone_ttl,
zone_origin => $zone_origin,
}
}
This is my host1.yaml data:
---
version: 5
bind::zone:
zone: test.ltd
ensure: present
zone_contact: 'contact.test.ltd'
zone_ns:
-'ns0.test.ltd'
-'ns1.test.ltd'
zone_serial: '2018010101'
zone_ttl: '767200'
zone_origin: 'test.ltd'
hash_data:
"newyork":
owner: "11.22.33.44"
"tokyo":
owner: "22.33.44.55"
"london":
owner: "33.44.55.66"
bind::cname:
ensure: present
record_type: master

Answer 1

There are a number of mistakes and misunderstandings in the code. I fixed them up so that the code at least compiles and ended up with this.
Changes to profile::bind:
class profile::bind {
include bind
$conf = lookup('bind::zone')
create_resources(profile::bind::make::zone, $conf)
}
Changes to profile::bind::make::zone:
define profile::bind::make::zone (
Enum['present','absent'] $ensure,
String $zone_contact,
Array[String] $zone_ns,
String $zone_serial,
String $zone_ttl,
String $zone_origin,
Hash[String, Hash[String, String]] $hash_data,
) {
bind::zone { $name:
ensure => $ensure,
zone_contact => $zone_contact,
zone_ns => $zone_ns,
zone_serial => $zone_serial,
zone_ttl => $zone_ttl,
zone_origin => $zone_origin,
}
}
Changes to host1.yaml:
---
bind::zone:
'test.ltd':
ensure: present
zone_contact: 'contact.test.ltd'
zone_ns:
- 'ns0.test.ltd'
- 'ns1.test.ltd'
zone_serial: '2018010101'
zone_ttl: '767200'
zone_origin: 'test.ltd'
hash_data:
"newyork":
owner: "11.22.33.44"
"tokyo":
owner: "22.33.44.55"
"london":
owner: "33.44.55.66"
Some explanation:
immediate problem:
Error: Could not retrieve catalog from remote server: Error 500 on SERVER: Server Error: Evaluation Error: Error while evaluating a Function Call, can't convert String into Hash.
This error was caused because your Hiera data was not correctly structured as a Hash[String, Hash[String, String]]. Notice in the yaml I have removed your key "zone" and created a nested Hash there.
must include the bind class
The camptocamp BIND module requires the bind class to also be declared. See its documentation.
validate_hash function is legacy and in the wrong place
As John Bollinger mentioned in the comment, you had the validate_hash on the wrong line. I think that was a cut/paste issue, because you would have got a different error message if that was really your code. Anyway, since you're using Puppet 5 (I guess that by the version => 5 in your Hiera), don't use the legacy validate functions ; use Puppet's data type validation. So I just deleted that line.
use lookup() instead of hiera_hash()
Again, since you're using Puppet 5, use the lookup() function instead of the deprecated hiera_hash() function.
version 5 belongs in hiera.yaml, not host1.yaml
It won't cause you any problems, but the line version: 5 won't do anything here, and it belongs in your hiera.yaml file. I used a hiera.yaml file as follows for testing:
---
version: 5
defaults:
datadir: data
data_hash: yaml_data
hierarchy:
- name: "Host 1"
paths:
- host1.yaml
zone_ns type confusion
You had 2 problems with the zone_ns - firstly, a typo in your YAML (no space after the -) ; and secondly, you passed in an Array of zone NS's and then tried to coerce the array to an array in your defined type.
zone parameter should be the name var
Notice I had to delete the $zone parameter in your defined type, and I used the special $name variable instead, to get the name from the title.
refactored to use data type validation
Notice how I used Puppet's data type validation on your inputs in the defined type, and then I had no further need for the legacy validate_hash function and other related validate functions. Read more about that here.
I think that's all. Hope that helps!